Couldn't locate a Grab Bag section, so I'll do it here.
We fish the Savannah River, about 50 miles from the ocean. The water down here is heavily stained with Tannic acid ( I think it's the same thing that makes tea brown) which I found was staining the aluminum after three or four months. Doesn't wash off very well and over time etches the metal.
I read about shark hide on this site in a post by Tee and looked at his boat in his library. Called Clint Bland (owner of the Shark Hide), who was very helpful.
CLEANER
I used the Shark Hide aluminum cleaner, even though my boat wasn't too bad yet. When I mixed the cleaner, I used 2 parts water to one part cleaner. It IS an acid based cleaner and DOES burn your eyes. I ended up using a paper "jock strap" mask and I would use goggles if I was doing it again. You use a hand sprayer with the finest spray possible (a fog, if you can)and start at the top, doing small areas at a time. Clint said if you see it running, you're using too much. The cleaner will foam as it cleans and etches the aluminum. If you see runs, re-spray that area. The area should be completely covered with foam. After about 5 minutes, rinse the area wirh clear water. When your done, the aluminum will be white and look bleached.
POLISHING
I used a Makita 9777 veriable speed buffer. I wouldn't suggest using anything small or an orbital polisher, since you're polishing off the surface of the metal, getting rid of the "bleached" finish. I used several wool pads, but Clint told me how to "light off" the pad when it gets full of oxidation. Spin the pad at slow speed and drag a bladed screw driver from the middle of the pad to the outside several times. This fluffs up the pad and you get a lot more use out of it.
As to how to polish, do a small area at a time, stir up the polish and smear some on the boat and some on the pad. Start buffing at a slow speed and gradually increase speed. The aluminum will immediately turn black as the oxidation is removed. As your speed increases, you will begin to see the shine through the oxidation. Once you get the finish you want, use lacquer thinner and paper shop towels to wipe off ALL of the oxidation. This will leave the finish looking a bit streaky, but don't worry about it, it will all come off as you use fresh towels and more lacquer thinner. Keep polishing and wiping until you have it as shiney as you want it. I used a clean foam pad at about 3/4 speed on mine when I was through buffing and wiping and it worked well.
I will say that the buffer requires some work, even though it is a power tool. It is also very messy. I looked like a coal miner when I did mine. Don't worry about going too fast - it'll just run away from you if you do! Seriously, be careful with the buffer - you won't hurt your boat but you might hurt yourself with it.
SHARK HIDE
Only do this when you're satisfied with your finish and the boat is CLEAN!
Tee suggested to use a foam roller. I forgot to get them and since it is a 50 mile round trip from my house to anywhere, I used a diaper as described on the Shark Hide website. Tee also warned me about the decals, but I didn't have any damage from the Shark Hide on mine. It may be that the newer decals use a different vinyl that older ones. I would be careful if you're not sure.
I wiped the Shark Hide on in about 30 minutes, let it cure 36 hours and wiped on another coat. You will notice that the finish dulls slightly from the Shark Hide, but not objectionably so. You will also notice that it DOES NOT come off very easy! I found that out when I did the small area behind the front roller. I polished it by hand several days after I coated the rest of the boat. I used laquer thinner to clean the area and it BARELY touched the Shark Hide!
All in all, I spent 40 hours cleaning, polishing, and coating my boat. If I did another one next we
